Living in Ice
by XEPHERsilverclaw
Summary: Tess Silverstone and Whisky, two newly accepted Fairy Tail members, hides a mysterious past and tends to hide it from the rest of her newest friends. What were to happen if a certain ice make wizard does a little investigating to find out what she's been hiding? Lemons later on. OCXGray. Other pairings featured. (Actual cover is in progress... taking a lot longer than I thought...)
1. Enter: Tess Silverstone and Whisky

Alright... Putting my Bleach Fanfic on pause (BAD NESSY! *Hits head with a chair*) I decided to give this a go. My OC story and if you were hoping for lemons, not until later in the story... sorry!

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ENTER: TESS SILVERSTONE AND WHISKY

It was, as they normally say, a typical day at the Fairy Tail guild hall. Mirajane was cleaning glasses behind the bar counter, Happy was offering Carla some fish hoping to win her affection, Erza Scarlett sitting down eating a perfect slice of strawberry shortcake, Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster brawling and screaming insults at each other, and Lucy Heartfilia doing her best to calm the two down before they make even more of a mess. To others, it may seem like one of these thing just doesn't belong here. However, to the members in Fairy Tail, this was like any normal day to them.

It was in the middle of winter. You could tell simply because a layer of snow covered the ground outside. With temperatures below freezing, you wouldn't think that anybody wanted to be out in this weather. Of course, that doesn't mean that there wasn't.

"Would you two please knock it off!?" Lucy yelled at the two rival wizards who were currently holding each other in a head lock.

"Not until I get to knock the ice block into pieces!" the fire dragon slayer yelled in response, the flames flickering beneath his breath.

"What did you say, Flamebrain? Do you want to keep going at it?" Gray retorted, already stripped free of his clothing.

"Seriously guys, you should chill." Wendy said calmly.

"Gladly!" the ice wizard responded by freezing the floor beneath Natsu. THAT sent him slipping and falling hard on his face.

"If you two end up knocking over Erza's plate again, I will make sure I step out of the way for her to get a piece out of both of you." Lucy concluded.

At that moment everyone froze, not because of Lucy's statement or of Gray's magic, but because several loud knocks could be heard from the front door across the guild hall. Everyone turned their heads towards the noise as Mira rushed over and opened it for whomever maybe behind it. The door creaked, the cold wind blew in, and a figure stepped into the hall.

She wasn't a member of the guild… that was for sure… or any other guild to be exact due to the lack of a guild mark visible anywhere on her body. She stood there, her vivid green eyes looking curiously around at everyone as she tried blocking the cold wind by drawing her thick, long dark brown hair and hoodless black cloak close around her thin frame. Thin was a bit vague of a word to describe her. She was small but fairly muscular and she looked just around Lucy's age (even though her breast weren't around Lucy's size). Her silver leggings cover her long legs and her black leather boots covered her feet and shins as she took a few steps forward inside.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail." Mira greeted kindly, "is there anything you need?"

She turned her head here and there as she looked around some more than turned to look behind her, "I don't know about this, Whisky. I'm not even sure what to do…"

"Just ask!" came a response and at the same time an orange cat appeared over her shoulder, his round glasses resting on his face.

"An exceed!" the blue cat exclaimed.

A bead of sweat dropped from Carla's brow, "We can clearly see that…"

"Come inside and let me close the door." Mira instructed and the girl complied.

As the door was shut and the cold air ceased to blow into the hall, someone cleared their throat. The girl turned to the source of the noise to see a very short old man standing on top of the bar counter.

"What are you here for, Girl?" he asked in a curious tone.

She stood up tall with the orange cat doing the same on her shoulders and spoke, "My name in Tess Silverstone and I wish to become a member of this guild."

The guild immediately began whispering amongst themselves and Erza's head popped up in mid-bite with interest. Natsu grinned widely, stood clumsily up on his feet and walked steadily off the floor that was previously frozen by Gray. He crossed his arms over his chest and spoke in a manner that said he was proud to be where he stood.

"This is great!" He spoke in a cheery voice, "A new guild member? So what kind of wizard are you?"

The orange cat jumped off her shoulder onto the floor in front of her and raised a paw to answer for her, "She's a crystal dragon slayer!"

"Another dragon slayer?" someone asked.

"Jah!"

"I could've guessed that… seeing you have an exceed partner…" Gajeel stood from where he was sitting and gave his attention as soon as he heard this new piece of information.

"That's rich coming from someone who didn't have one before he joined the guild…" Natsu giggled.

"What did you say, Punk!"

"Calm down." The old man ordered and they immediately hushed. He jumped off the counter and walked until he was a few feet away in front of Tess. The orange tom stepped out of the way as the short old man focused his gaze on the brunette. He studied her for a bit and a minute or more passed before he spoke again.

"I'm Mokerav, the guild master of Fairy Tail. Many of our wizards here were part of the guild since they were kids. They grew up here in the guild while a few grew up with another. Needless to say, many wizards become part of a magical guild the moment they realized their potential. I want to ask you: what took you so long?"

She paused and thought for a moment before answering, "I've… lived a sheltered lifestyle… I gained my dragon slaying magic from the great dragon, Diaminda, my mother... she trained me to become who I am now…" She took a deep breath and continued, "But… Of course, like many other dragons, she disappeared without a trace… After that, I lived in a small town far away from here and grew up without knowing anybody. Until a few weeks back, I've decided to leave and go out on an adventure. I learned about the magical guilds and I learned about Fairy Tail. I wish to join to start anew, to make friends I've never have, and continue on with my training as a dragon slayer."

Moverav genuinely smiled at this and responded in a cheery voice, "Then we welcome you!"

The guild then busted out in an explosion of cheers. It seemed everyone was happy to have a new member on board. However…

"Of course, I want to do something before we put the guild mark on you. I want to test your strength and ability to use your magic. Are you up for a challenge?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." She grinned, as she balled her fists up and lifted them on either side of her head.

"Then we'll do a quick one-on-one battle." He turned to look behind him and searched for a good opponent.

Of course, Tess looked as well. She caught her eyes always wandering back to the group of strong looking wizards; a boy with pink hair, a red headed girl wearing armor, a blonde with a whip at her side, a small girl with blue hair, and a guy with black hair wearing no clothes. She gawked at Gray with a look of bewilderment and coughed.

"Umm… You do know he's nearly naked right?" she stated with a slight flush in her cheeks.

At this statement, he flipped as if he didn't notice before.

"Way to impress the new girl, Blockhead." Another guild member spoke.

"Shut it and help me find my clothes!"

Despite the ridiculous scene, she couldn't take her eyes off him. He was mesmerizing; a strong muscular build, feathered jet black hair, and a great attitude that expressed who he was. The site seeing didn't last long however for she caught the site of a blue haired woman shooting death glares telling her to back off… and she did just that.

"Lucy, my dear." Master Moverav called.

The blonde looked up and blinked, "Me, Master?"

"You shall be Tess's opponent for this test. Are you okay with that?"

She smiled and pointed a challenging finger towards the crystal dragon slayer, "You're on!"

"Bring it, Blondie!" Tess smirked but then frowned, "We're not fighting outside are we?"

"Kinda have to seeing how much destruction it causes." Mira pointed out.

At this, Tess gazed over back to where that group stood and noticed that a small area of the guild was a bit tattered signaling that a fight was going on before she made an appearance. Her gaze drifted a bit back to the ice make wizard before finally settling back on Lucy, "Right… Okay… Shall we get going then?"

HOLY SHIT it was cold.

"I have to say I make a few trips up to the mountains every so often and it's not nearly as cold there as it is now…" Tess said while shivering from the ice.

"Are you already backing down due to a little weather?" Lucy frowned, placing her hands on her hip.

"N-no! I never back down!"

"Well said young one." Master Moverav spoke, "Now get ready!"

"This is a little crazy…"

"FIGHT!"

"OPEN! Gate of the golden bull!" Lucy immediately brought out one of her celestial keys and swung it forth,"TAURUS!"

At her command, a man-like bull appeared before them carrying a large axe,"Moooo! I have got to say Ms. Lucy, you are looking really goooood today!"

"Less flirting more fighting, Taurus!"

"As you wish but I hope to get a couple of smoooooches from you!"

Tess lifted an eyebrow as the bull charged toward her on its two feet, "You have a fetish with animals or something?"

Lucy gaped, "NO! That's not it!"

"Crystal dragon TALONS!" Tess shouted. At this, long sharp crystals grew out from her fingers like extended claws. She lashed out towards the charging bull and scratched the front of the celestial spirit. Taurus cried out and jumped back away from her.

"Attack her with everything you got, Taurus!" Lucy commanded.

But before he could move again, Tess lashed out again. After this attack, the spirit began to fade.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Lucy. I should've mooooved a lot faster." He apologized before returning back to the spirit world.

Tess's crystal talons turned to dust as she waited for Lucy's next move. She watched as she pulled another golden key out, shouting: "Open! Gate of the Archer!"

Another spirit that looked like a man wearing a horse helmet appeared before her and shot a few arrows toward her.

Tess acted quick, "Crystal dragon ROAR!" several sharp crystal shards flew to counter the arrows and continued on towards the spirit and the blonde mage. Once the attack hit, Sagittarius returned to the celestial world as well and Lucy was trying to recover from the hit.

"A celestial mage, huh? Give me a little more of a challenge would yah?" Tess taunted and Lucy gritted her teeth.

"She's asking for it now." Gray smirked.

"She's a real man!" Elfman cried.

"She's a woman! Get it straight you oaf!" Evergreen roughly shoved the takeover mage.

"OPEN! Gate of the Lion!" Lucy brought forth yet another golden key, "LEO!"

A tall handsome guy appeared this time, presented nicely in a suit. A couple of his golden strands of hair stuck up like cat ears, and his cool sunglasses rested nicely on his face.

"About time you called. What took you so long?"

"This is only a test but I want you to go at her with everything, Loke."

"As you wish." He obeyed and rushed forward to attack.

Tess had a lot of difficulty dodging his attacks as she was trying to think of a way she could hit him. Before she had time to get ready though, he made contact; a fist met her face sending her flying across the crowd. She hit and landed in a pile of snow also causing her to slow down her recovery.

"I have to apologize… it's not really my style to hit a lady."

Tess crawled out, the area where she had been hit not showing any marks or bruising, "That's fine! I wouldn't want you to hold back." Tess smirked.

Everyone seemed fairly impressed so far. She was as anyone would have expected of a dragon slayer. She could possibly even make S class in a short amount of time. Still… it looked like she could use some more training and Mokerav suspected that she was hiding something important from her past. However, he wouldn't press her about it. Only time would tell if she would be willing to speak about the rest of her history.

"Now then!" Tess stood up, "Crystal dragon armor!"

This was entirely new. At this command, a suit of mirror like scales formed all over her body. She's not entirely invisible, but she just became extremely difficult to see.

"She's incredible." Erza spoke up.

"Jah!" Whisky popped up, "That armor acts like a camouflage. Not only that but it also strengthens her attacks by twenty percent."

They watched as Tess returned the favor by punching Loke in the stomach, sending him flying back towards Lucy. He landed roughly into her as they were now sprawled on the snowy ground. Eventually Loke disappeared, going back to the celestial spirit world leaving a defeated Lucy behind.

She guessed that this signaled her victory. She looked towards the guild master, who walked forward in front of the rest of the guild and gave a proud wide grin, "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

At this, everyone whooped and cried out in joy as they rushed over to meet their new teammate. Even Lucy was back on her feet (with the help of Levy) to congratulate her. Tess was overjoyed and excited about being around people who to be not only her newest friends, but her family as well.

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And I'm so happy I started this! It's so fun to write! Please let me know what you think by leaving a review!


	2. The Crystal Dragon Slayer

Here it is! chapter two is up! I hope I'm doing okay with this but so far I'm getting good comments!

Also I will have to apologize... due to being a full time college student, working two jobs, and the stress of just recently wrecking my car it will be hard for me to write... I'm sorry if it takes while...

Anyways, ENJOY~

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THE CRYSTAL DRAGON SLAYER

"There!" Lucy cried sounding accomplished as she just finished placing the guild emblem on Tess's left hip. Now that the brunette was back inside and warm again, she unbuttoned her cloak to reveal that she wore only a black bikini top underneath, "Now you are an official Fairy Tail Guild member!"

"Like she already wasn't whenever she kicked you butt." Happy giggled.

"Can it, Furball!"

After the dual between her and the celestial mage, the entire guild celebrated the arrival of their newest teammate. They cheered, whooped, and hollered as they drank and talked amongst themselves. A number of the guildmates surrounded Tess, wanting to know a little more about her while a few, like Cana, just competed against each other with drinking and other activities.

Tess looked over her shoulder at Whisky and smirked. The orange tom was blushing, standing in front of the white exceed known as Carla. She could tell that he had developed a little crush on her, seeing him act humble before her.

"I don't think I introduced myself. My name is Whisky." He said with a bow.

"Whisky?" Lily jumped in, "Like the drink?"

The orange exceed gave a scowl, "I honestly don't see how anyone could drink such a bitter liquid."

Carla gave a smile, "Not fond of alcoholic drinks are we?"

Both Lucy and Tess were impressed. He only had just introduced himself and already got the female smiling. Lucy herself knew that Carla wasn't an easy she-cat to please. Happy also seemed to notice this, for he charged towards Whisky and pinned him on the surface of the table where they stood.

"Paws off my woman!"

"I'm happy to be here for you, beautiful~" Whisky simply stated.

Carla sighed and rolled her eyes. Tess laughed at the scene but then quickly turned to see Natsu up in her face. She scowled herself. The fire dragon slayer has been staring her down like he was ready to fight her himself.

"Can I have a go at you next?" He said with a challenging grin. Yep! That just confirmed what she was suspecting earlier.

"If that's supposed to be your way of trying to hit on me, you need to work on your tone…" Tess mocked in return, making Lucy spit her drink in a pit of laughter.

Natsu only stared at her dumbfounded, "Of course I'm going to have to hit you if we're fighting… why do I need to be nice about it?"

"You're a moron!" Gray shouted at the pink haired man, still laughing.

"Shut your face, Ice Breath!"

Natsu moved away from Tess to confront the ice mage. It turns out his fight wasn't with her. She sighed in relief, happy she doesn't have to fight another new teammate to be fully accepted into the guild. However, she feels as if the fire dragon slayer would challenge her later again in the future.

"So!" Lucy spoke up again, clapping her hands together, "Now that you belong to a guild, what's next? Do you have a place to stay?"

"I do actually." The brunette responded, "I built a house not too far from here."

"Built one?" Lucy blinked.

"Yeah… I don't have money of my own to do actually anything… so I built a home using my magic and strength."

"Is it made of crystal?" She asked, her eyes shining.

Tess backed away, "It's decorated with it, but no… it… isn't fully made with crystal. Why are you giving me that weird look?"

"You know… If it's money you're having a hard time with? Why don't you sell some of those crystals? You can make a ton of jewel!"

"She right…" Gray stepped forward, after Erza had apparently broken him and Natsu away from their brawl, "You wouldn't even have to join the guild if you had that kind of wealth and power."

Tess scowled for a second time, "If it's one thing I don't like, it's getting around the easy way around things… I feel more accomplished if I worked hard for something. Dragon slayer magic is sacred. Why would I use it so negligently as to just sell it?"

"That's a good way to put it!" Natsu grinned, "I would feel kinda silly if I only used my fire for show."

"Don't get me wrong! I'd like to earn money! But I'd like to do it in a way that doesn't feel like cheating…"

"You're going to fit in well around here." Gray smiled, patting her on the back. Tess looked up at him and blushed. Not because he was once again half naked, but because that feeling of awe that she felt earlier had returned.

As soon as those feelings had returned, they were immediately noticed. The blunette that had given her a dirty look about it earlier rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the ice mage.

"As long as she keeps her claws off of my darling Gray, she'll do just fine!"

"What the hell…" Tess stared at her blankly.

"Can you please get off of me?!" Gray said as he tried to pry Juvia off if him.

"Anyways, since we got off on a weird start, how about you and I go on your first mission together?" Lucy offered.

"Actually I was hoping to ask that since I would like to see more of her pretty magic." Levy spoke up.

"You're not the only one who wants to see more!" Natsu grinned.

"You really need to reword everything you say…" Tess glared at the pinkette.

"Actually…" Erza stepped forward, "Master sent me to do just that. He wants me to see what you're really capable of."

"Wait… NOW?"

"No it doesn't have to be right this second… but when you're ready, I'm going to pick a short assignment from the mission board and you will accompany me."

"Sounds good!" Tess grinned.

"Well! Now that that has been settled let's have a competition!" Cana said, slamming a beer down in front of Tess.

"Whoa! Careful there! There should be any need to knock the girl out on the first day." Gray warned.

"Nonsense she'll be fine, this will let me she how much she can handle!" Cana drunkily reassured them.

"She's already slammed enough herself as it is… this shouldn't be too big of a deal." Tess accepted.

"YOU DON'T KNOW CANA!" Everyone warned her again.

Tess took the beer, downed it, and slammed the mug onto the table, "ANOTHER!"

Tess got her refill and Cana began drinking again herself. One drink after another they fought to see whose tolerance was at its highest even if Cana was drinking before she challenged the crystal dragon slayer. After about nine drinks, Tess began falling behind and Cana was still on her feet.

'How in the hell?' Tess thought taking another mug.

After awhile, Whisky went to see what all the commotion was about and stopped in his tracks at what he saw, "Mama!"

As Tess reached for another mug, Whisky tried grabbing it from her only to fail as she brought it to her lips.

"What are you doing?! You know how I feel about this! I've asked not to! Come on! Stop it now!" Whisky pleaded but Tess ignored him.

The crystal dragon slayer downed another one. After three more, she swung a bit trying to grab the next one. She missed and fell to the floor unconscious. Cana shouted to her victory and Whisky shouted at her some more.

"Poor girl…" Lucy said.

"What did I tell you? Did you listen to me? NO! Now I have to drag your sorry butt all the way home!" Whisky growled.

"I guess the mission can wait a few days…" Erza sighed, knowing she was going to have one hell of a hangover.

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Tess woke and groaned. She sat up, holding her aching head and looked around to see she was still in the guild hall. There were a few others that seemed to pass out from yesterday's celebration as well, either from drinking too much or just exhaustion she didn't know. She guess everyone else went home last night if they were able to.

She didn't even try standing. The brunette laid back down in the hopes of trying to recover a bit more. When that failed, she sat up. After a moment, Mira walked up with something in her hands and smiled, "Here! Drink this. It should help."

Tess thankfully took the beverage and took a sip. She nearly spit it out and finally blanched when she swallowed it.

Mira giggled, "It's supposed to help with the hangover. It's not supposed to taste good." She said before giving the same nasty liquid to some of her other teammates.

After drinking the rest of it, she noticed that it did indeed help a lot. She stood, gave the glass to Mira when she came back by her, and thanked her.

"I seriously underestimated her…"

"We all warned you. Cana is used to drinking barrels."

Tess gawked, "That's good to know. I'm not doing that again…"

"GOOD!" something flew against her head and Tess immediately recognized it as Whisky, "Do you realize I didn't even feel like carrying you home?! I was so pissed and worried!"

"I'm sorry, Whisky, but I thought it would be nice to fully bond with our new guild."

"This is why I hate alcohol…"

"Hey! Hey! Look who's back on their feet!" Tess looked towards the new voice to notice Natsu and the other walking into the hall.

"You took on a dangerous battle there last night. You should rest some more for today before we head out." Erza smiled.

"No no! I'm fine! Just give me a few minutes to get something to eat and I should be ready."

"You don't need to stop by at your house for anything?"

"Uhh… depends… What kind of job is it?"

"Just a simple one." Erza responded handing Tess the flyer.

"A bunch of thieving bandits stole our good merchandise. Have them captured and imprisoned and return our goods. Reward: 20,000 jewel." Tess read out, "It's enough to get us food!" She grinned.

"Jah!" Whisky agreed.

"Alright then! Let me know when you're ready."

"C'mon! I'll help you get something to eat." Lucy offered.

"Thank you."

She and Tess made her way over to the bar to order something. Once her food was ready she began to chow down. From the looks of it, it was almost as if the girl hadn't eaten in days. Whisky himself had eaten a whole fried chicken. After her third plate, she paid with the help of Lucy and sighed.

"Again thank you, Mira…"

She smiled, "I love to help."

"Alright!" Natsu grinned, laying an arm across Tess's shoulders, "Let's get going!"

"You're not even!" Tess growled, hitting him off of her.

"You'll get your chance, Dude. Just wait like the rest of us." Gray spoke.

"Wait…" Tess blushed, "What do you mean by that?"

"We all did a bit of thinking about who you should team up with." Lucy explained, "Ours is big enough as it is; Me, Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Wendy. Oh! And also Happy and Carla. We think we should split our group up a bit. It should make splitting the small rewards that much less painful."

"Yeah all you think about is the money." Happy chimed.

"I will turn you into a rug! Do you hear me?!"

"Also we seem a bit to overpowering. Natsu and Gray alone nearly destroy everything they get their hands on in the middle of a fight. So we all thought we'd go out on a mission with you, one by one, to see who would work with you best."

"Excluding Natsu and Lucy of course… they're already a team." Gray stated.

"That still doesn't mean we don't get to fight!" Natsu cried.

"Quit trying to challenge every new member that comes into the guild!" Lucy contradicted.

"I haven't really thought about having a teammate. I honestly thought I'd be going on mission alone with Whisky, but I think another partner doesn't sound bad."

As she said it, she kind of already had someone in mind. She looked at Gray who was chatting away with Erza and thought that they probably don't need to go on a mission together to figure out they'd make a good team. Ice and crystal would look really pretty together. Not to mention how he already seemed like a reasonable person. But there was something else… another reason why she wanted him as a teammate.

"Juvia thinks that Gray should be excluded as well!" the blunette popped up out of nowhere and clung onto the ice mage.

"Hey! Get off of me would you?!"

"Well… let's make this a thing then!" Tess stood and nodded to Erza,"I'm ready."

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Reviews make me really happy! make me happier by sending me more reviews! I don't care in they're complimentary or critical!


	3. Hiding Her Past

It's finally here! I'm sorry it's taking so long... college has been keeping me busy and I'm also leaving to the renaissance faire this weekend. It's going to be a blast! Anyways, enjoy~

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HIDING HER PAST

"She did well." Erza stated to Makarov. She and Tess had just returned from their mission. It didn't take too long. They left in the morning and returned by nightfall.

The mission went smoothly. When they tracked down the bandits, they pretended to be local businessmen themselves… that was course when they saw a name that wasn't theirs on the merchandise. They fought bravely but were no match for the two Fairy Tail wizards. They had them tied up and shortly turned in. The client was happy to give them a reward plus a little something extra.

"Are you sure I can keep this?" Tess asked looking down at the necklace that was given to her. The pendent was shaped like a star; diamond shaped, and it held a cyan gem in the middle of it.

"I told you, you should keep it as a momentum for completing your first mission. I have plenty of jewelry already and you said you we're just getting settled in living on your own."

"Thank you…" she said almost too quiet to hear, "I never really received a gift before…"

"Are you serious?" Lucy blinked, "Not even for your birthday or…"

Tess shook her head.

"Well… we have to fix that." Gray spoke, stepping forward. Tess's cheeks flushed without her permission, "The guild here tends to celebrate about anything. You can expect a present here or there from the friends you make."

"You're already fitting in well around here, so I don't think you have anything to worry about!" Natsu grinned.

"Yeah… hehe… Thank you, guys!" She smiled shyly

Makarov watched and narrowed his eyes at his newest guild member with some suspicion. While smiling and laughing, he could still make out the look of pain and regret. There was something about her… something about her just didn't seem right. He signaled Erza to lean in close, and she did so nonchalantly.

"Did you have any luck learning any more about her past?"

Erza shook her head, "Unfortunately… All we know is that when her dragon left her, she lived alone in a very secluded town until a few weeks ago… she didn't give a name of the town or anything…"

"Give her time and we will learn more. I have a feeling she's hiding her past for a reason… Gajeel are you hearing all of this?"

The iron dragon slayer grunted, "Loud and clear, Gramps…"

"I want you to take part of this too… She did mention that she needed to continue her training."

"I will have no problem with that. The girl just better make sure that she will have to keep up with me. Else, I'm not holding back."

"Very well…" The master sighed.

"Hey! Hey, guys! Check this out!" Whisky exclaimed as he flew into Tess's hair and starts messing it up.

"H-hey! You know I hate that! Get out of there! WHISKY!" She screamed trying to get the orange exceed out of her mane while the others laughed hysterically.

Gajeel smirked. This girl wasn't much different from him. He walked forward to her, reached out and grabbed the little bugger from her hair. Using her claws, she tries her best to untangle the mess Whisky created.

"Son of a-"

"You're welcome." Gajeel interrupted and smirked.

Tess turned, and looked up at Gajeel who still held the exceed up by his scruff.

"Payback~"

"Whisky, no fried chicken for tonight! Do you hear me?!"

"Oi… Calm down, Tiger."

Tess blinked. What did he just call her?

"I should be hearing a thank you for me helping you."

"You're one to talk, Iron Breath!" Natsu spoke up.

"Can it, Pinky!" He growled.

"Th-thank you…"

Gajeel turned to look at her again to find that she bowed her head, looking at the floor. It was his turn to blink at her. There was definitely something going on with this girl. There was no way a girl like her should look so ashamed about a little slip. Whatever happened to her, it made her wary and afraid about what others think about her.

"Anyways… I wouldn't be asking this if the master wouldn't have told me to… But I heard you were looking to continue your training… I can help if you want it."

"Master Makarov… asked you to help me?"

He snorted,"Yeah… and I can tolerate you because you're a respectable dragon slayer… so how about it?"

"Sounds good!" Tess smiled up at him and he smirked in responds.

"Every Thursday… 5pm sharp… you will be joining me and Lily."

Tess looked over at the little exceed who raised a paw as a welcoming gesture, "Can't wait for you to join us."

"Likewise." She smiled back.

"Can I train too?" Whisky raised a paw, still held by Gajeel.

Lily lifted a brow, "And what exactly can you do?"

"Well… besides using aero magic, I'm skilled with using knives… I also do a bit of coding and translating."

Levy's ears perked up at this, "Really? I did pick you out as a reader."

"I don't always like to act it but it comes in handy!" Whisky smiled.

"I guess that settles it then. Whisky will be joining us as well." Lily smiled as well.

"Jah!" Whisky managed to escape Gajeel's grasp and flew up in delight.

From behind, Lucy gave a yawn, using a hand to try to cover it up, "It's getting late guys… I'm going to head home and get some rest…"

Natsu blinked, "Already? Want me to walk you home?"

"Since when?! Good night, guys!"

"Night!" they all replied simultaneously.

"We should get going too, Whisky. We haven't set up the house yet and I can do for some proper rest."

Whisky scoffed, "Only because you drank yourself to sleep last night… I wasn't joking when I said I'm not carrying you home after you do that."

Trying to ignore the exceed, Tess said farewell to the guild as well before making her way to her new home. The stars were out, the moon was full, and the crystal dragon slayer was exhausted.

* * *

Morning came sooner than Tess had anticipated. With a groan, she sat up and rubbed her eyes free from the sleep. She blinked them open and tried to fight the shine of the sunlight through her bedroom window. When she finally won and adjusted to the new light of the morning, she nearly screamed.

"Well good morning to you too." Gray blinked at her.

"Her kitchen is completely empty! Does she eat any real food?" She heard Natsu.

"What the hell are you guys doing in my house?!" Tess screamed.

"We normally do this to Lucy but we got curious about your place." Erza responded, examining her clothes.

"This place is NICE!" Lucy was also looking around.

"Seriously?! You too?!"

"I don't see why you're getting upset… You don't have a lot of stuff in here…"

"Have you guys ever considered the meaning of privacy?! Oi! Put those down!" She screeched at Erza who was holding up a pair of her panties.

"You have really good taste in lingerie, Tess."

The brunette jumped out of bed and quickly shoved her clothes back in her drawers. She escorted her guildmates into the living room and growled, "How did you guys even get in here?"

"Sorry, Mama…" Whisky replied for them, looking guilty.

Tess gave a sigh of annoyance, and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I don't mind guests… but I do wish for people to let me know they're going to be here before BREAKING AND ENTERING! OI FLAMEHEAD! GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!"

"Where is all your FOOD?" He whined in response.

"I haven't stocked anything up yet! And I guess I'm lucky I haven't!"

"C'mon, Tess. Don't be so upset… We're also here to talk about setting up your next mission." Lucy pouted.

Tess growled again before taking a seat next to the blonde on her couch. She didn't know what to expect from her newest friends but it wasn't this. Although she didn't mind the company, she LOVED it, but she was also sensitive about her personal space.

"Alright fine…"

"We were thinking of partnering you up with Gray next. Considering he himself doesn't have a specific partner, it would be nice to see how this will work out."

"I thought that one chick didn't want me associating with him… Isn't that blue bimbo your girlfriend or something?" Tess asked the ice mage.

"She is NOT my girlfriend!"

In the distance, she could hear someone crying.

"Juvia is a girl who fell in love with Gray the moment she laid eyes on him." Lucy explained, "Gray acknowledges her as a guildmate, but has never returned her feelings."

"So she's stalking you and being clingy like a fangirl to a celebrity…"

Natsu laughed, "Pretty much!"

"I have to say though, you should really consider her. After all, your magic works well with Juvia's." Erza said waiting for Gray to respond.

The ice mage seethed and Tess frowned. The feelings she had twice since she joined the guild had returned. She didn't want him to be with Juvia. Not because she was annoying and clingy, but it was because of something else. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but she would have to think it was up to Gray to decide what he really wants.

"Anyways, how about it?" Lucy spoke, wanting to get back on topic, "We were hoping for another bandit mission, but it seems as if they have all been taken or cleared for the time being."

"So I found this and I hoped it would be good enough." Gray finished, handing her the flyer.

She looked over at it with ease, "Fighting monsters for 500,000 Jewel? Any job sound good to me."

"You say that until you get a job you don't expect…" Lucy warned.

"Can I make a trip before we go though?" Tess asked which got everyone looking at her weirdly.

"Trip where?" Gray lifted an eyebrow.

Tess went back upstairs to her room to retrieve something. When she came back down, she was fully clothed in leather jeans, a silver bikini top, and her long overcoat. She moved her overcoat out of the way to reveal a fanny pack on her hip. She opened the pack to reveal a few crystals inside. Lucy's eyes shone in awe.

"Unfortunately for me, my energy supply isn't easily obtainable like other dragon slayers. There's a cave full of crystals that I haven't created and I go there once in awhile to stock up."

"You don't try selling some?" Lucy gawked.

"You have a serious money issue, Lucy…" Tess glared at her.

"I can answer that for her." Erza spoke, "It wouldn't be a good idea to do that seeing as this cave she's talking about is the only location she can go and collect 'food' to replenish her energy during battle. Crystals take a lot of time to form. Therefore, she tries to preserve as much as she can. Am I right?"

"That would be… perfectly accurate." Tess blinked in surprise.

"In that case, you mind if I tag along?" Gray asked.

"Umm…" Tess wasn't sure. Of course she didn't mind it, but she would feel more comfortable if someone else was going with them, "I guess but it will be freezing…"

"Then why aren't you dressed a little warmer?" Lucy beamed.

Tess blushed as Erza once again answered for her, "Because she doesn't have a lot of clothes."

"Yeah you would know that after going through my stuff, wouldn't you?" Tess growled.

"No matter! It can be easily remedied!" Lucy giggled, "I'll take you out shopping sometime!"

"Umm…" Again, Tess was unsure.

Erza smiled, "It will be fine. Lucy is someone you can trust when it comes to these things. If it makes you feel any better, I'll go as well."

"Alright…" Tess stood, "but maybe later… I really need to take this trip…"

"It can't wait?" it was Lucy's turn to blink at her.

Tess shook her head, "It's best that I leave today so I don't forget later."

Erza narrowed her eye at her. There was a slight change in her tone at that last statement. That slight change just made the red head discover that she was lying about something. This girl was really hiding something. Gray seemed to notice it too, for he looked over to Erza. She nodded to him, confirming what he was thinking. Natsu on the other hand…

"Fine… go ahead and take your stupid trip…" he said, picking his nose.

"Not on my couch!" the brunette growled.

"How long will it take you?" Erza asked another question.

"I should be back tomorrow afternoon… It's a long way to get there… and I'm just filling up my pouch."

"I guess we can go to our mission then right after." Gray said, "That shouldn't be a problem, will it?"

"No. That will be perfect!" Tess smiled, "If we want to make it by tomorrow, then I suggest we leave soon."

"I'm ready to go."

"You're half naked!" Lucy yelled at him and he looked down at himself and gasped.

Tess sighed. This was going to be a longer mission than she'd anticipated.

* * *

Overall... I think this chapter sucked... but I promise the next one will be better! Leave a review to remind me how much of a horrible job I did... or not... positive thoughts are good too/


	4. The Crystal Cavern

I am soooo sorry this took so long... it's been quite awhile... I know... but here it is! The forth chapter!

Also, I noticed that I haven't been putting a disclaimer up and I apologize... but Fairy Tail and all of its badass characters belong to its original creator...

* * *

THE CRYSTAL CAVERN

It had just gotten colder. That much was certain. Being up in the mountains didn't help either. The snow fell relentlessly and, even though it was still daylight, there was no sight of the sun anywhere to warm up the two and a half figures that trekked there way up the snowy mountain.

"I-i-it's not t-too far ahead!" Tess said through chattering teeth.

"Mama, quit lying… you know we still have a ways to go…" Whisky huffed cutely.

"Are you sure you don't want to borrow my coat?"Gray asked once more.

"I-I've made trips like this before… I-I will be f-fine…"

Gray frowned and reluctantly held on to his coat. Tess still had her own on, but it was thin and not made for the cold weather. Gray watched as she bundled herself like the first time he had saw her when she first walked into the guild; tightly holding the coat around her close and trying to fluff that long hair of her's around her neck in attempt to keep herself warm. It was pitiful to watch her freeze and have her reject any help from him.

"You're going to freeze your ass off…"

"I will be fine…" the crystal dragon slayer repeated.

"Mama, he is offering help! No one's ever done that before! I told you it was a bad idea to make a trip like this during the winter!" Whisky rambled on.

Gray sighed. What was this girl's problem? It was clear she was suffering from the cold weather. Why was she being so stubborn? Did she really travel like this with such minimal clothing? Whatever… He wasn't going to just walk behind her and watch her freeze.

He walked up to Tess and took off his coat. She wasn't watching whenever he reached to throw it over her. As a result, she jumped when the extra piece of fabric touched her.

"Wh-what are you doing!? I said-"

"You said you were fine my ass…" the Ice mage interrupted, "You're shivering so much it could cause an earthquake… quit being so stubborn and don't be afraid to ask for anything if you need it…"

"But what about you?"

"I'm fine! I used to train naked in weather like this so I'm used to it."

"Speaking of… you took off more than just your coat, Buddy." Whisky chuckled. Gray looked down at himself and acted shocked that he was, once again, stripped down to his underwear, "I have them here… don't freak out…"

Tess clutched onto Gray's coat as he redresses himself. It was already heated with his body warmth from earlier. She took a deep breath and blinked when she caught a strong whiff of Grey's scent. Continuing to walk, she sniffed again and involuntarily smiled. He smelled nice, like a layer of ice that lay across a slow moving river mixed with the obvious musky smell of a man. Not that she knew if ice really had a scent. As a dragon slayer, her sense are a lot stronger than a normal human being, so she guess she could smell more than anyone can describe.

She stopped and blushed. What was she doing? She was turning into another Juvia. Continuing their journey, she noticed that she hadn't really moved any farther since she had been given the coat. However, her partner still lagged behind.

"Oi! Hurry up and get dressed if you want to get on that mission by tomorrow!"

"I'm done okay!?"

He quickly (and effortlessly) caught up to her. Still freezing, she took a few more steps before the ice mage placed a hand on her back to keep her moving forward.

"Once we get to this cave of yours, I'm building a fire immediately. You shouldn't even be dressed like that up here during the winter."

"I keep telling her that but she never listens!" Whisky spoke up.

"You and I both know I didn't have the money for anything else but food!" Tess growled.

They trekked on until what seemed like a few hours. They made small talk, took a break here and there, munched on what they brought with them, even Gray told her a little bit about his past. She was shocked about hearing the hard times he had, but smiled when he began talking about joining Fairy Tail. After awhile, they finally made it to their destination.

"It's here!" Tess smiled widely and ran up to reveal a hidden entryway to a cave, "C'mon, guys!"

"Where did all that energy come from?" Gray asked the exceed.

Whisky put his palms up, "Maybe it's because of the close proximity if her energy supply?"

They entered the cave and the ice mage gasped. The stone walls were lined with crystal that reflected the light from the slightly open ceiling above. The ground beneath them laid smaller crystal shard that seemed to have been broken down by erosion.

Erosion? He looked ahead of the crystal lit hallway and gaped in awe. There at the end of the hallway was a lake; clear as crystal and still as a pond. It too was lit from the light above and everything around it, and also was the home of more crystals and gems inside of it.

"As beautiful as always." Whisky breathed.

"Beautiful…" Gray repeated, looking around the cave some more then finally setting his eyes on Tess who was already resupplying her pack.

"I hope you don't mind camping in here for tonight… Laying down on this surface in a pain in the ass…" the crystal dragon slayer looked up to see Gray looking at her. She looked away, flushed, "Didn't you say you were going to start a fire?"

"Oh! Umm…" He scratched the back of his head, "Yeah…"

He did just that, though it was hard finding the material to do so, he succeeded after Whisky flew out and found some wood from who knows where and using some of the stones to spark a flame. After awhile, the cave began to warm up some and Tess's eyelids began to droop from the silence between the three of them.

"How did you originally find this place?" Gray broke the silence.

She blinked awake, "Diaminda first showed it to me…" she smiled and sighed, "Normally I… wouldn't show this place to anyone else… I try to keep it a secret form everyone… but with how seeing and hearing about how everyone in the guild get along, how they stand up for each other no matter what… I thought it would be alright… you know?"

He stared at her. She already trusted them so much, yet they were trying their hardest to find out what she was hiding from them. It seemed to be more than this cave. Something about the 'village' she lived in was vague. She hardly talked about it. But before he could ask, she spoke again.

"I would like to thank you for helping me… I never really been in a situation where someone insisted on my well being… I've always learned to deal with things the way they are…"

"Then… Why leave the village if that was the case?"

Tess shrugged, "I got really lonely…" she smiled, "Well… of course I had Whisky, but he also insisted that I moved and tried looking for some more friends."

Whisky remained quiet about all of this for some reason. As a matter of fact, he didn't recall the cat ever speaking about the past at all.

"Here…" Tess tried handing back Gray's coat but failed.

Gray just shook his head, "You need it more than I do."

She frowned but kept it nevertheless. They set up their beds, trying to pad the shard covered ground beneath them before settling down around the fire. She was alone… with a man… well… aside from Whisky… but she had never been with another person before. Well there was….

She turned over to see that he had his back turned to her. She stared at him with a mixture of awe and worry. Surely he wasn't like one of them. He was really kind and willing to look after her as his guildmate.

"Hey can I ask you something?" Gray stirred.

In a panic, Tess flipped over to her other side again and pretended as though she was looking at the wall the whole time.

"Could you tell me more about your village? I mean it seems a bit strange that you would feel lonely there if you had neighbors right?"

She sighed, and turned to lie on her back. Gray was looking at her again, waiting for an answer. She had her hands on her face as though she was thinking about something, and then finally remove them to give her response.

"I say village… but it's actually a log cabin in the middle of a plateau…"

Gray continued to stare at her. She was changing her story. There was no way that would have happened if she was telling the actually truth.

"It was considered to be a part of the village close by. My… home… was segregated from the rest."

"And you didn't think to go say hi to anyone there?"

"Everybody knew what I was… and was afraid of me…" She closed her eyes, "Like I said, I didn't come into contact with other people often. Once they figured out I was a dragon slayer, they became hasty and tried their best to avoid me… So I did them a favor and left."

Another part of her story she was changing. Though this time, she seemed to be lying again. For what reason though? What could have possibly happened to her after her dragon disappeared?

"It's late… We need to sleep if we plan on leaving early tomorrow…"

"Right…" Gray relented and turned to look at the ceiling as well, "Good night, Tess."

"G-good night…" She responded back almost panicky.

Slowly she began to drift off. Once her breathing slowed and she and Whisky were asleep, the ice mage turned to her again. Her hair was tousled around her head and she held his coat close to her trying to keep her body heat from escaping. She turned suddenly, and he saw that she almost had a pained expression on her face.

There was something… something that wasn't right. What was she hiding? Why is she hiding it? He wasn't sure why he and his other guildmates were trying to solve this, but he was going to do his best to save this girl from whatever pain she's concealing from the past… or worst, the present.

* * *

Gray woke with the day's light being reflected in his eyes. Groaning, he rubbed his face and looked around to see Tess still heavily asleep. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes closed tight as though she were in pain, and she was clutching on to his coat tightly. Whisky was also still sleeping, no longer at Tess's side. The exceed had rolled over quite a bit to where he fit snuggly against the wall of the cave. He sighed, stood up to stretch and finally made his way over to wake his partner up.

The minute he shook her, she sat up wide awake. A look of terror flashed in her eyes until she recognized who was in front of her.

"What was all that about?" Gray asked blankly.

"Sorry… nightmare…" She responded coolly, "H-how long did I sleep? What time is it?"

Judging by the light, he guess he could say, "About noon…"

"OH CRAP!" She jumped out of her makeshift bed and quickly began packing up. In the process, she threw a stone at Whisky, urging him to wake up as well, "Time to leave, Buddy!"

They packed quickly, ate in a hurry as they did so, and set out on their way to their destination. They exited the cave and back out onto the frigid mountain. Tess brought Gray's coat that he lent her close around her once more as they headed out.

"H-hey…" She was already shivering, "Gray, do you mind leading the way this time since you know where we're going…"

"Sure… but don't be in such a rush. It's not too far from here…"

"Umm… Where exactly are we going?" Whisky raised a paw.

"It's a forest just outside of a few neighboring towns… it shouldn't take us but a few hours to reach the town of the client even if we do walk…"

Tess huffed, "We're still late and we need to hurry…" she repeated before turning on her heel and started walking.

Gray sighed, "We need to go the other way…"

"Right! I knew that!" Tess turned the other way and followed the ice mage.

As they walked, he couldn't stop thinking. She seemed in such a hurry this whole time. She hasn't been in the same location for more than a day. Well… not including the time she passed out after that drinking contest with Cana… But even as they were discussing their next mission, she seemed as if she would accept it no matter what it might be. She even changed course and sent them on this wild trip to the mountains when these mission didn't require a lot of magic use to complete. So needing magic replenishing material shouldn't be needed unless she was going to use a lot of it and she was being excessive.

Or…

She could be running from something.

It could be a very logical explanation but why would she want to hide it? Doesn't she know that she has teammates now that can help her if she has a problem?

"Gray, you're naked again…"

"When the fuck did that happen?!"

* * *

I like reviews... I have a lot of you reading this and I'm happy that it has followers but I like to know if I'm doing a good job or if I need to improve this somehow... I know it's not perfect... So *kitten eyes* please review


	5. A Simple Mission A Likely Clue

I am so sorry... It's been months hasn't it? College is hard and Winter break was fun... I got a little bit distracted... But here it is! I finally finished it! Enjoy!

ALSO a cover will be on its way shortly... I make them myself... If you like to see some of my works, visit my DeviantArt sometime! Same username, just search me!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Fairy Tail

* * *

A SIMPLE MISSION; A LIKELY CLUE

They made it to the town the mission originated from; Elkhein. It's a small village far east of a lush forest and just below the mountains from where they traveled form. It wasn't a place Gray wasn't all too familiar with, but looking at Tess made it seem as if she knew the place all too well.

'Oooohh… why the hell didn't I check the name of the town…' she thought, almost groaning to herself. She was sweating, had her hands clutching the side of her head, and almost seemed as if she were hiding herself from view.

"Hey… Are you okay?" the ice mage asked blatantly. She abruptly looked at him, and slowly back down at the ground.

"Y-yeah… I'm just suddenly not feeling good…"

"We can stop and rest if you like. You did stay in a harsh environment with very little to wear. Maybe you caught a cold?"

"Talk about having very little to wear…" Whisky chuckled and pointed at him, who was ONCE AGAIN in nothing but his underwear.

"What the hell!" he cried looking around for his clothes. His pants weren't too far away. Whisky quickly fetched them and handed them to Grey but the rest of his clothing seemed to have been flung off far earlier than before they reached the village.

"We need to hurry up and get checked in if we're going to do this mission on a timely manner… Here" Tess stated handing Gray back his coat, "Just wear this and your pants and you should be decent enough to present yourself in front of the mayor. I'll go back and look for the rest of your clothing."

"What happened to you not feeling well?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I-I should feel better after I sit down for awhile… let's meet back here after you're done…"

Gray looked at her. Something wasn't right. She looked like she was in a hurry to get somewhere… or get out. He narrowed his eyes and thought. She does look a little flushed… Maybe she really is sick?

"Alright… We'll meet back here and, if you're feeling better, we'll leave to do our mission."

"See you then…"

Tess handed Gray her stuff and turned around to begin searching for the rest of his clothes as he watched her leave. She was definitely moving fast for someone who didn't feel well. Nevertheless, he sighed, and turned the other way towards the mayor's office.

It wasn't too far away and it was that hard to find. With the big "Mayor" sign pinned above the door frame, he could guess that no one ever lost track of what building this was. As he looked around, nearly all of the buildings have done the same. "Inn"… "Food Store"… "Clothing Shop"…. "Wood Whacking"?

"Okay… What the actual fuck…"

"Oh that's a carpenter store!" A creaky old voice spoke nearby.

The ice mage turned to its source to find and equally old man standing at the doorway of the Mayor's building. His bushy white eyebrows hung low to blend in a braid in his white beard. His mustache hung low parallel on either side of the braid. His eyes were a darkened hazel and altogether he stood about four and a half feet.

"That's a pretty messed up name for a carpenter store…" He replied to him, correcting his earlier language.

"Indeed… I tried to reason with the owner, but he insisted on the title… That man is such a joker."

"Are you the mayor?"

"Indeed I am."

"My partner and I have come from Fairy Tail for a job you sent out. We are here to do business."

Gray handed the Mayor the flyer. He took it gazed over it, and nodded, "Indeed… We are having a lot of trouble with monsters lately… You said you had a partner. You are going to need one. Where are they though?"

"She was feeling ill and had to stay back to rest somewhere. Don't worry though. We should be done with the job before the end of the day."

"Good! Good!" The old man smiled, "I'm very glad to hear that. My name is Willow. Give my name to the people at the Inn and they'll be happy to give you a room."

"Thank you." Gray turned to leave.

"Good luck and thank you."

He did as the mayor said and check at the nearby Inn. The lady at the desk greeted him with smile and guided him to a room prepared for them… except.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. "

He caught her before she was out of earshot, "Yes?"

"Would you mind setting up another futon? I have someone else with me and I don't think she'll be welcome to share…" He pointed to the one futon already set up.

"Of course! I'll have that ready before you get back."

"Thanks."

He set his and Tess's stuff down and thought for a moment. Seeing her freeze like that back up in the mountains was worrying. She needs someone she can get close to for warmth on trips like that. Perhaps…

He shook his head and grumbled to himself, "Get a grip, Gray…"

He made it back to the spot they promised to meet back only to find Tess still gone.

"Fantastic… is she still looking for the rest of my clothes?"

"Gray?"

He whipped around to become face to face with Whisky and jumped back. He was alone but was in a state where he looked just a nervous as the crystal dragon slayer was recently.

"Mama's already feeling better and is already in the forest. I'm here to help you find her."

Now, unlike Tess, Whisky was a horrible liar. There was a slight edge to his voice that almost cracked when he said that first bit. There was definitely something up.

"Tell me something, Whisky. Was she really feeling sick?"

He didn't answer. Instead a bead a sweat fell from his brow and he flew into the forest, "We need to go now if we plan on getting this job done quickly!"

A few minutes of running in the forest and she wasn't too hard to find. With the ground shaking with the sound of heavy footsteps growing near, a couples roars of the monsters, and the sound of Tess yelling her attacks, finding her became an easy task.

"It's about time you showed up! Duck! Crystal Dragon ROAR!"

Gray did as she said and her attack hit a large lizard that happened to come up behind him. He looked around to find that they were surrounded by a lot of large, yet low level monsters. This was indeed going to be a quick mission indeed.

* * *

"That wasn't too bad… it was almost fun." Tess commented on their walk out of the forest. It was about dusk by the time they finished off the last monster. It took them a lot longer than they had anticipated but Gray found it good exercise to practice his spells on low level creatures.

"Lucky for you there are a lot of missions that pop up like this on the board back at the guild. If you're quick and lucky enough, you can grab another one in a matter of weeks."

"I wonder if there are any exploration jobs…" Whisky thought out loud.

"Oh yeah! I did promise you I'd take out on an adventure sometime!" Tess blinked in surprise as if she had forgotten about that little piece of information.

"If that's so then you can join Levy on her missions with Team Shadowgear… course the group doesn't go out much ever since Droy became a lard ass…"

"Jah! That sounds perfect then!" Whisky pumped his fist (paw or whatever).

"I gotta say, Tess; I'm a little pissed that you ran ahead without me even though we made a deal to meet back at the entrance…"

"I'm sorry about that. I heard stomping and roaring in the forest and I had to go check it out… hehe…"

"You know you still could have just waited for me like you promised."

"I was handling those monsters fine all by myself thanks!" She huffed and crossed her arms. As soon as she did though, her arms dropped to her side and she stopped walking. Her eyes widened in fear and guilt before quickly disappearing and replaced by a stern look.

The ice wizard stopped walking as well as he watched her face, "What's wrong?"

His question was answered when he followed her gaze and found the lady of the Inn standing just a few yards away. She was staring at Xepher with a look of recognition and confusion.

"Have I met you before?" The lady asked almost cocking her head to the side.

"I don't think so…" Tess answered her and Gray's head snapped towards the crystal dragon slayer's direction. Her voice had cracked and she was slightly sweating and it was at that moment he knew that she had indeed been in this village before.

The Inn keeper didn't seem to notice though. She took a few steps forward and looked at Tess more thoroughly, "Are you sure? I could've sworn I've seen you before. Is the cat new?"

"Jah! I'm not just any ordinary cat!" Whisky popped up from behind Tess.

"Oh my!" She gasped covering her mouth with her hand.

"I think I r-remember. I was here in this town once while traveling. I was a customer of yours in the past." Tess spoke up again, stuttering a little.

Gray looked at her. Oh she was here alright… but the way she was hiding something made him conclude that it wasn't on good terms. It could also explain the way she acted earlier before they had entered village. What did she do before she joined the guild?

"Oh! That may have been it! We may be a little town but we do get a lot of visitors! I tend to remember faces and not names so do forgive me if I don't remember yours!"

"I'm Tess Silverstone, a wizard of Fairy Tail. Gray here is my partner."

"Ah! You're the gentleman from before! I'm so sorry!" She bowed, "Were you two perhaps headed towards the Inn now? I'll be happy to escort you guys back there to pay back for my forgetfulness!"

"That would be great, thanks." Gray responded and they both nodded.

They begin following her back. With the sky growing darker and the air getting cooler, they were both eager to get some sleep. However, at the same time, they were both restless. Tess looked like she was about to take off running for who knows why and Gray was getting irritated with her secrecy. He was determined to find out what she's been hiding from him and the rest of the guild.

"Hey…"Tess prodded his shoulder with her elbow and he turned to look at her. She looked back down at her feet and sighed, "I'm… sorry… for taking off and going against what we planned… I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's fine as long as it doesn't happen again in the future… Once you agree on a partner, I don't think they'll appreciate you doing something like that… It could ruin the team's coordination and cause a mission failure."

"I realize… That's why I'm apologizing."

Gray thought for a moment, "I don't mind permanently becoming your partner. It's not like I have one now."

"S-seriously?" Tess looked up at him, eyes wide in surprise.

"Yeah! We make a good team!"

"Even more so than with that clingy blue haired chick?"

"Who? Juvia?" Gray paused, blinked, and laughed. Actually laughed.

"Seriously, man. That girl clings onto you like a squeamish fangirl. Ice and water also make a good combo sooo-"

"Hell no, Tess. Although we may make a good team, I can't stand the way she acts towards me. That woman has been infatuated with me the moment we met and I can't get her off of me."

They made it to the hotel and the keeper escorted them to their room before bowing and leaving them to continue talking. Like he had asked before, an extra futon was set up next to his… but…

"Let me just… move these two apart…" Tess walked forward to move her chosen futon away from the other. Her blushing didn't go unnoticed by Whisky.

"Mama, are we having other thoughts?" He teased and giggled.

"Shut up, Furball!" She teased back, throwing a pillow at him, "and NO! I'm not!"

Gray couldn't figure out why but he was somewhat disappointed at that statement. It did, however strike up another question, "Do you have someone you admire?"

"Me?" she pointed at herself.

"Obviously… We kinda already know Whisky is going to be battling against Happy for Carla."

"Now THAT is something I will not deny! That snowy white she-cat is the prettiest thing I've laid eyes on for awhile." He almost sang that last bit out, hugging himself probably imagining her in his arms.

Tess genuinely smiled and giggled, "To answer your question, Gray; no. At least, not right now."

"So you want to find someone."

"If possible… though giving the circumstances, it probably wouldn't be for awhile…"

Gray didn't notice, but she was blushing quite a bit. Whisky giggled in his paws, keeping his mouth shut and Tess hugged her knees.

"I don't see why not sooner. I mean, you're strong and really pretty. I'm sure you already have someone out there that likes you like that." Gray sat down on his futon.

"Are you sure YOU don't?" Whisky chuckled, but the ice mage ignored him.

"Yeah… sure…" Tess was blushing heavily. What is going on with her? She didn't understand why she was acting this way towards him and was glad that he didn't seem to notice. She coughed, composed herself and spoke again, "By the way, were you serious about permanently becoming my partner?"

"Only if it's okay with you."

"Sure! However, I have conditions… I don't like to rest for too long… I tend to want to go from one mission to another as soon as possible… money's kind of in large demands right now…"

"That seems alright to me. I can use the money myself. Rent doesn't come cheap."

"JAH! Then that's settled!" Whisky jumped up, "From now on, we are a team!"

Tess let out a small laugh, "I guess Juvia won't be too happy about it."

"She really isn't one to decide what I do." Gray smiled at her.

Whisky pondered, "Now… If we can only think of a good name for us…"

* * *

I really, really, really, really, reeeeaaaaaallly like reviews and I've been getting a lot of good one's lately! I like to thank those who have been posting! I'll try to update as soon as possible!


	6. Team Ice Crystal

Okay... This chapter is shit... but its a chapter... I don't think the next one is going to be any better but I'll try my best to make this read well...

I may have gotten a bit out of character with Gray... I don't know... what do you guys think? This would be a lot easier for me if you guys would leave reviews! *hint* *hint* *poke* *poke*

Anyways! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Fairy Tail...

* * *

TEAM ICE CRYSTAL

"I assume you've realized it as well?" The guild master looked at Gray with a stern look.

The ice make wizard nodded. He had just returned from his mission with Tess Silverstone. After they had woken up and quickly found a place to eat, they left Elkhein around dawn. Tess insisted on going on foot. Being a dragon slayer; she, like the others, lives with curse of becoming extremely motion sick on vehicles. She was in a rush to get out of the town before Gray could even explore it and it annoyed the hell out of him. He even had to go and receive the reward money from the mayor by himself while she waited outside the perimeter of the village.

"Yes, Sir. I've realized she's lying about her past. During our recent mission, she became extremely nervous ever since we found Elkhein. She was eager to get out of the village and return here to start another mission."

The guild master pondered for a bit, taking in the new information and piecing it together with the old, "Hmm… That may be the village she used to live in… I hate investigating our newest member like this, especially one so promising… But we've had so many in the past who have not been what they have said… I fear she may be one as well…"

"I agree… That's why this partnership is important. From here, I can figure out more of what she's hiding or maybe get her to spill it all together. She needs someone close to her that she can trust more than anyone else… including Whisky."

"I trust you can do so without her suspicion…" Makarov nodded to Gray before the ice mage turned to leave back down into the guild hall. There, Tess was smiling and laughing with the others even with Juvia's apparent disapproval.

"Juvia will not stand for this! She can't believe that her beloved had agreed to be with a half-naked, messy haired girl like you!"

"There's no need for insults. It was my idea in the first place." Gray spoke up standing next to Tess's side.

"Y-you can't be serious, My Love…" The water mage was in tears.

"Oh yeah… Team Ice Crystal is officially a thing now." He shrugged and Juvia ran off, crying dramatically.

"Well, I'm happy for you two! I'm glad you finally found yourself a strong partner to team with, Gray!" Lucy grinned widely.

"D-don't flatter me like that!" Tess blushed, "Plus, I relied more on him than anything else… He helped me a lot on our journey…"

"No need to keep beating yourself down!" Natsu spoke, "I bet you've taken care of more monsters on that mission than Ice Brain did."

"What was that?" a nerve popped up on Gray's forehead, "Do you want to say that again for me, Flame Breath?"

"Gladly, Snow Flake! I-" before the fire dragon slayer could finish that sentence, a club of ice was thrown at his face. In response, he threw a flame covered fist towards the ice mage. The two were in an all out brawl before anyone could stop them.

Tess currently had a lot on her mind. She was glad to be Gray's partner and yet afraid he might find out the truth about her. It's a fine balance between good and bad and truthfully she needed something to take her mind off of everything. She turned around to face the bar and waved, "Can I get a fire whisky please?"

"Coming right up!" Mira answered gleefully before preparing the drink.

Meanwhile, Tess had to dodge an actual fireball that Natsu had thrown at her, "Are you finally going to challenge me?"

"No! You dumbass!" Tess growled back at him.

"Oi!" A shard of ice hit the unprepared dragon slayer and sent him flying towards the other end of the hall, "Your fight is with me!" Gray stepped in front of Tess.

Tess blinked, "There's no need to protect me like that… I can take care of myself fi-"

"I think that should be enough fighting!" Erza spoke up, the blade of her sword pointed towards a fearful Natsu.

"Yeah… Ok… I agree… No more fighting…" He almost squeaked, his face streaming with sweat.

"One fire whisky!" Mira's cheerful voice returned behind the crystal dragon slayer. She turned to look at the glass that held the fiery liquid inside. She sipped and sighed.

"Alcohol before training? You're pretty gutsy, Tiger." Tess turned to see Gajeel, who gave her a smirk.

"Wait… That's TODAY?"

"It is Thursday afternoon…" Lily spoke, standing on his shoulder.

"Oh CRAP!" Tess panicked, downing her glass quickly in attempts to hurry up and leave… only to find that she immediately regretted it afterward, "FUUUUUCCCCCKKK!"

"Smart move." He said sarcastically, almost laughing at her.

"Whoa, Tess! Are you okay? You really shouldn't have done that!" Gray looked at her with shock and concern.

"Yeah! Yeah! I'm fine!" She stood up holding her head. She wobbled a bit which cause the Ice mage to flinch to catch her. She merely swatted him away and stood still. Gray watched as she moved her hand down to her chest to try to ease the burning a bit and sighed, "I'm ready…."

Unlike anyone else, Gajeel happened to notice the little stare Gray was doing and smirked a little more at that. Partners huh? This partnership might turn out to be a lot more like Flamebrain and Bunny Girl's before too long.

"Okay… You're going to have a rough time with me tonight!" Gajeel smirked.

"Oooohhh! Was that supposed to be dirty~" Cana smirked herself and the iron dragon slayer's smirk fell into a snarl.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it!"

"Oh c'mon you guys!" Mira giggled, "You know he already has his heart set on a certain blue haired book worm.~"

"Ooooooohhh! I nearly forgot about that!" Cana giggled with her while Gajeel blushed. The tough guy was actually blushing! Who knew he was such a tsudere!

Gajeel recomposed himself, growled, and grabbed Tess by the back of her collar headed towards the front doors, "C'mon, Tiger! We're leaving!"

Tess eventually broke free from his grasp and continued following him to wherever he was going to train her. Turns out, he had found a nice, open field he had been using in the past for him and Lily. It seemed about an acre, enough for two dragon slayers to brawl without causing a lot of damage. The forest around them bordered a little more than half the area and some of the grass was trampled away from previous sessions.

"You used to train with Lily, huh? But ho-"

Before she could finish that sentence, Lily walked up to her in his edolas form. The black exceed stood a foot and a half taller than her; just about as tall as Gajeel himself. He carried a large sword on his back and even his pants were enlarged to cover his lower area.

"I take it I have already answered your unfinished question." He smirked.

Tess nodded almost intimidated, "So Whisky! You are going up against him?"

Whisky was gawking himself at the enlarged cat. He quickly shook his head to gather himself and flew off of Tess's shoulder, "I will give it my all!"

"Well said! Gehe!" Gajeel smirked and turned to Tess, "Now this won't be much. I want to see how much you've learned so far. You're going to spar with me for awhile. Also, I'm going to give it my all as well so don't expect me to easy on you. I'd like to see how well your status is built. This includes your stamina, defense, power, and so on."

Wow… like actually wow… for someone who wasn't that interested in doing this he was really going all out with this training thing.

"I'll be doing the same with you, Whisky. Don't worry though." He held his thumb up at the orange exceed, "I'll be holding back for you since you're not the true fighter of your group."

"Right!" Whisky nodded, holding up his knives.

He says knives, but they are more commonly referred to as ninja tools. He had especially taking a liking to them after first meeting Tess. He did his research, carrying a variety, and trained himself somewhat to be a skilled knife thrower. He'd do anything to do what it took to be able to fight by Tess's side.

"Here I come!" Gajeel warned before charging towards her.

* * *

Mavis, he was tough! She was barely strong enough to keep up with his attacks. I was mainly a spar of hand-on-hand dragon slayer techniques. Even though he said he wouldn't go easy, they seem to have made a slight agreement to keep from throwing projectile attacks for now. They battled for what seemed to be hours before the sun just began to set.

They both now sat in the clearing panting, tired from their brawl. Whisky and Lily we're doing the same; the black exceed back in his smaller form. It wasn't until they all began to catch their breaths and downed a few mouthfuls of water that Gajeel spoke.

"You're already good enough as it is from what I've gathered." He wiped some sweat of his forehead, "One thing we need to work on is your defense and stamina."

"Defense?" Tess questioned. He proved his statement by grabbing her arm and raising up a bit, "OoooowwwwWWWWWW!"

They weren't resting for long but Tess could feel her muscles screaming at her. She hadn't rested much in between her missions either so that was also crashing down on her.

"You're strong yes… but it takes a toll on that tiny body of yours." He scoffed, "I seriously even doubt that you'll be able to move tomorrow."

"I think I will be fine!" Tess pulled away stubbornly.

"Have you even gotten a full night's rest since your first mission?"

"I said I'm FINE!"

"Should I call your boyfriend to come and carry you?" He smirked, mocking her.

Tess blushed furiously, "Teammate!" She corrected him.

"Uh-huh… Don't think I haven't caught you two staring at each other when you think either of you aren't looking. It's killing Juvia."

"Says the man who doesn't have the balls to tell a certain blue haired script mage how he feels about her!"

He stiffened.

"Oh yeah! Everybody in the guild knows but her." Tess was the one smirking now.

"You should really watch yourself, Tiger…" He warned; his tone no longer playful.

Tess shrunk back. His look became murderous at the talk about him and Levy. I guess that wasn't something he'd want to joke around with at all.

"As long as you don't make a comment like that about Gray and I then I'll-"

"HEY!"

Speak of the devil…

The ice make wizard came running up the clearing. Although dusk was falling, she could clearly recognize his voice and silhouette… Why was he here though?

"Gray? What up?" Tess frowned.

"Just relaying a message from the girls… you know… Lucy, Erza, Levy… anyways…" He caught his breath and stood up straight. Did he run all the way over here?

"Okaayyy…" Tess sat up, looking at him in confusion.

"They just want to let you know that they uphold their promise about taking you shopping."

"That's it? That's all you need to tell me? You looked like you were in a hurry to get here."

"Wellll…" He trailed and Tess finally noticed.

"Seriously Whisky?!"

"Sorry, Mama!" He popped up from behind on of Gray's shoulders, "But I think Gajeel's right… You won't be able to move until tomorrow evening…"

"I said I was FINE!" She growled, now making a move to get up on her feat. However, as everyone expected it she paused. They could hear a nervous chuckle from her as she slowly began to stand, "Ta-fucking-da!"

"Congratulations! Now try walking…" Gajeel mocked once again.

Tess humphed, and swung a foot up to take a step. That was as far as it moved for she grimaced in pain and began falling forward. Before she could reach the ground, she was caught. She looked up to find herself in the arms of none other than her now overprotective partner.

"Couldn't you have carried me home, Whisky?" She growled again.

The orange exceed chuckled, "But what's the fun in that?"

"You little- OOF!" She was cut off as Gray picked her up, holding her bridal style before walking to exit the clearing.

"I'll lead the way~" Whisky sang, flying ahead of them. Tess glared after him.

"Gray!" Gajeel's rough voice called the ice mage.

"Yeah?" He turned to see Gajeel's smirk.

"You've gotten soft!"

"Shut it, Iron Balls!"

* * *

Told you guys didn't I? I was lacking the excitement in the one and the humor is only mild... maybe I should learn to expand more on detail when I'm writing? Things haven't been easy for be about this... With the amount of schoolwork that has been piling on top of me, I've barely gotten a chance to write...

Leave reviews please! It would make me really happy and more motivated to write the next chapter! Until next time!


	7. Scars from Nowhere

ok... yeah... this chapter sucked... I tried to make it up by adding a bit more humor to it but I hope someone likes it at least...

I'm a good writer ok! Just give me a while...

disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL

* * *

SCARS FROM NOWHERE

"There's no reason for you to carry me like this." Tess scowled. She was getting tired of Gray babying her. Ever since they have agreed to become a team, he's has been nothing short of overprotective.

"Will you be able to walk fine?" He lifted an eyebrow.

"I can if you would help!" She nearly growled.

Reluctantly, he set her on her feet. To her surprise, she found herself disappointed as well. He guided one of Tess's arms over his shoulders for support as well as slighted lifting her by her hip.

"If I hadn't left my energy supply back at the guild, I wouldn't be in this mess…"

"You wouldn't have made it this far without me." Gray said walking.

Tess scoffed, "Whisky would've been alright dragging my ass home if he wasn't such a jerk!"

"Jah! Now now, Mama, that's no way to tell someone thank you~" He purred.

They continued trekking down the dirt road through the woods towards her home. The sun was far gone and the stars shone above surrounding a waxing moon. A hoot of an owl could be heard nearby and Whisky shivered. This did not go unnoticed by Tess.

"I didn't know you were scared of owls." She smirked.

"I'm not!" He denied, "They just freak me out! That's all! The way they're able turn their heads all the way around and the way they swoop…"

The owl hooted again and this time Whisky hid himself behind Tess and peered over her shoulders at the path.

She turned her head and whispered to him, "Pull another stunt like this again and I'll feed you to one." The orange exceed squealed in fear.

Gray coughed, "Why are you always so against about me helping you out?"

Tess scowled and looked at him, "It's not like I don't appreciate it… but I've made it this far without anyone's help for years. If I should ask; why do you feel the need to treat me like I'm made of fragile glass?"

He stopped at that and didn't answer. He couldn't let her know that he was trying to figure out the truth from her. After she's working so hard to hide it from them, she may decide to disband the team and go solo even after it just got formed.

"Never really had a partner I can look at as an equal." He finally answered.

She was surprised to hear this, "Really? You haven't done the same for the rest of your guildmates?"

"Natsu's strong but he's a dumbass. Lucy is strong but can be a ditz at times. Erza's waaayyy stronger than any of us. Gajeel's alright but doesn't notice that his singing talent needs work…"

"Can you say that yours is any better?" Tess lifted an eyebrow.

"I'm not even in that field." He scoffed, "Anyway… you see the point I'm trying to make. Tess, you're really strong, smart, and fun to be around. Everyone likes you even though you've only been part of the guild for a week now. You even already have a few fans around town already. Don't you see? You are hard to hate and that's coming from me…"

"The guy who heart is cold as ice?" Whisky blabbed.

Tess bopped him on the head and didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. She has never been complimented like this before and it was silent with happiness. She could feel tears forming from her eyes and tried to fight them.

"That… really means a lot to me thank you…" was all she had to say.

They made to her home after a short silence between the two of them. They walked up the porch steps, and Gray reached for the door handle when it swung open by itself.

"Ah! My darling Gray has finally arrived with that oblivious, over-esteemed bitch!"

"Juvia?" Gray blinked in surprise and Tess glared at her.

"What are you doing in my house?" She growled, "and WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

"Master Makarov told Juvia to give this to you." She handed her the energy pouch she had accidently left behind, each crystal glimmering inside of it, "Also, it would take some time before you fully regain your strength so I'm also hear to help Tess with anything she needs."

"I think I should be fine…" The crystal dragon slayer groaned, popping a crystal in her mouth.

Juvia sniffed and pinched her nose, "For starters… a bath…"

Tess blinked, sniffed herself, and blanched. She probably hadn't had one in four days. She could smell the work of training plus the last two missions she had been on. She even had a claw from one of the monsters stuck in the fabric of her coat.

She suddenly became very aware of herself now. The fact that she smelled this bad the whole time she was with her new partner embarrassed her to the core. She felt her cheeks flush with the awkwardness of the situation and began to sweat a little, "Yeah… okay… Maybe I do need one…"

Again reluctantly, Gray handed Tess over to the water mage who roughly slid her over inside her home. As Gray tried taking a step in, She stopped her.

"No, My Love. You are done for tonight. I'll take care of her from her."

Gray scowled, "Juvia, whatever you do, don't hurt her. I need my partner in full health."

"Only for you!~" she sang.

"Oh! Here are your clothes Gray…" Whisky said flying towards him and Gray looked shocked that he was half naked once again.

After the exceed handed him his clothes and flew into the house, Juvia closed the door on him leaving the three of them alone in the house.

"Come on. Juvia has already prepared a hot bath for you."

She half carried her towards her through the house, into her bedroom, and finally her bathroom where the said bath was waiting for her. Juvia let go of her so she could gather her shampoo and things while Tess undressed herself. When Tess lifted her arms herself to slide her cloak off, she hissed in pain and dropped them.

"So… uhh… can you help me again, Juvia? …Please?"

The water mage blinked at her and walked over to help.

"You've really worn yourself out. Our guild master has noticed that you hardly take any time to relax and replenish yourself. You should know that it very important to rest, especially in between missions."

"I know… I just want to catch up starting a new life here, you know? I easier to do that with more jewel…"

When Juvia slid off her cloak, she gasped.

There were scars… scars of many shapes and sizes on her back. From what she could tell there were varying claw marks, slash marks, abrasions, and even bite marks that covered a majority of what she was hiding.

Tess heard the gasp and froze. Crap! She had forgotten about those! Think fast, Tess! Think!

"Juvia would like to know where these came from…"

"Umm… What?" Tess decided to play dumb and turned around to look at her. She has a fearful, worried look on her face, "Oh! Umm…"

Crap! What could she say?!

"I can be a real klutz sometimes. Those are all from accidents that I cause myself… You know… accidently falling over and landing in a thorny bush… some of those were even caused by past battles!"

"Really?" Juvia frowned. She didn't buy it… but she pretended she did, "Then what about the rest of your body? Why are there only scars on your back?"

"My back is the hardest for me to heal for some reason…" Tess answered sheepishly, "That I don't know how to explain…"

"I see…"

Juvia continued to help undress the poor girl until she was down to her panties. From there, Tess took care of that herself by sitting herself down at the edge of the tub first. After she was completely nude, she settled herself in.

Tess release a relaxed sigh from her smiling lips. She sniffed and felt the water for a bit before asking, "Did you put anything in here?"

"Just some soaps Juvia has gathered from your cabinets. Juvia has also grown accustomed to using Epsom salt in her bath so she has taken the liberty of adding some in as well. It's really quite healthy for the skin."

"Will it help fade my scars?" Tess asked skeptically.

"Not that I know of but it will help keep you looking young and pretty." Juvia giggled and winked at her. Then she paused, "B-but that does not mean Tess should use her feminine charm to win over my darling Gray!"

"Shut it, Bimbo! I have no intention to and I can do what I want! So bleeehhh…" Tess childishly stuck her tongue at the water mage. Juvia glared at her and summoned water to be splashed in Tess's face.

"You hardly have to body to please such a man."

"I have a sexy body thank you very much! HEY!" Tess squealed out as Juvia reached out and groped one of her breasts.

"These are hardly big enough to satisfy him! You have no chance!"

"Do you really think he cares about that! Sheesh woman! Get your grubby hands off of me!"

Tess shoved the water mage back and splashed her for additional satisfaction. The water was merely absorbed and the blunette smirked at her.

"If Tess wants Juvia's help to wash her hair then she should be mindful!"

"Fine! Fine!" Tess growled and turned her back towards her, letting her all of her hair fall behind her. Juvia poured some of Tess's shampoo into her hand before she began scrubbing her scalp.

Tess was scowling the whole time. She didn't like people doing things for her that she could do herself… especially when it involves her being naked and having to get herself cleaned! However, she calmed herself and decided to try to start diverting away from the hateful gestures.

"So when did you first discover that you loved Gray? And could you please try not talking in third person? It makes you look like an idiot…"

Juvia stopped scrubbing for a second before continuing and answering, "Juvia doesn't really know. Sh… I always thought it was the bond of love at first sight… that sort of thing."

"Uh-huh… So you don't have a real explanation for it. You just do?"

"Ju- I really can't explain it, but he always had that charm that drew me close to him. Plus water and ice magic go really good together so that must mean we're meant for one another!" The mage squealed.

Tess groaned in annoyance, "Has it ever occurred to you that he might not feel the same way about you?"

A torrent of water was poured on top of Tess's head without warning, rinsing her hair clean. Tess coughed after it was done, beating her chest a little to help clear her system.

"Juvia will do anything she can to win over the heart of her one true love! Gray will notice me for the woman I am and fall head over heels for me as I did for him! Nothing can come between us and the beautiful bond that we share!"

"Whatever you say, Lovebird…" Tess sat hunched, her hair over her face dripping from the rinse. She took care of cleaning the rest of herself before getting out and getting dressed (again with some help from Juvia). After Juvia helped settle her into her bed, she handed Tess her pouch. The dragon slayer eagerly ate a few more crystals before she sighed and nestled herself deeper into her sheets.

"Lucy and the others will be here in the morning to get you for the shopping trip. After that try not to over exert yourself again so I won't have to go through this another time."

"Trust me… You and I both…" she groaned and then stopped, "Oh yeah, Juvia?"

"What is it now?" the water mage turned to find her eyes drooping.

"Thank you." Was all she said before falling asleep.

Juvia stood there for a few seconds looking at her before making her way out of the crystalline house. She turned off the lights while she walked and gently shut the door behind her. There was a cough behind her and she turned to see Gray still standing there waiting.

"Gray, Darling! Did you wait all this time out here just for me?!" She squealed, popping a leg up and sparkling eyes at him.

He merely frowned, "Yeah actually… As crazy as that might sound, I have a question to ask you."

" _This is it! This is where he confesses his true feelings to me!_ " She thought to herself.

She squealed again, "Anything, my Love! What is it?"

"Tess…"

Her heart nearly stopped.

"What about her?"

"You must have noticed by now… She's hiding something from us…"

She stood there merely dumbfound for a second before she clicked, "I have… actually…"

"You wouldn't have noticed anything odd about her have you? Anything unusual?"

"Well… yes… you see-"

* * *

yeah... I can't promise the next one will be any better but I will do better! I promise! Reviews are really helpful! I don't care if they're mean!


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